[BN] Blitz newsletter: As new year approaches, playoff drought could become a thing of the past

The Buffalo Bills play their final game of 2017 with the hope that the new year will bring something different than the 17 before. Should they win in Miami, and another team or two drops the ball on New Year's Eve, the Bills will end their notorious absence from the NFL postseason.

But does that mean the Bills will remain playoff contenders in 2018 and beyond?

"They're a long way from that goal, whether they sneak into the playoffs in a down year for the AFC or not," Jerry Sullivan writes from Miami. "I'm not saying the drought will last another decade, or another day. But regardless of what happens Sunday, there's no guarantee that the Bills will maintain the modest level of success they achieved in the first year under McDermott and General Manager Brandon Beane."